On Saturday, October 18th, the morning after the conclusion of Brew Asia 2025, the Beer Asia team – along with circa 50 other conference attendees – embarked on a guided tour of Bangkok’s brewing heartland. The itinerary covered a total of five brewpubs and taprooms, spread out over the northern suburb of Nonthaburi and Bangkok proper. The price of a ticket included a first beer on the house at each venue, a catered lunch, and the opportunity to view the brewing equipment in place at the various locations.
The outing also presented a perfect opportunity to interact with fellow participants outside the conference setting. To top it all off, the day’s proceedings were to be conducted by Charles Guerrier, founder of Asia Brewers Network, Brew Asia, and the Asia Beer Championship. Known for his sharp wit and good-natured humour, it was clear that we were in for a treat.
The Bangkok Craft Beer Scene
For decades, Thailand’s beer industry was a tightly regulated affair dominated by major domestic brands such as Chang and Singha. The 1950 Liquors Act stipulated that beer production required a minimum annual output of 10,000 hectolitres for a brewery, and 1,000 hectolitres for a brewpub. The industrial scale prescribed effectively excluded small scale craft operations. Furthermore, the tax structures in place favoured enterprises with significant financial backing over those with limited capital at their disposal.
Cracks started appearing in this hegemonic structure during the early 2010s. Bars specialising in imported craft beers started appearing in Bangkok, granting residents access to a wider variety of styles. Home- and microbrewing communities also started forming during this period. Operating in the grey, informal spaces where regulatory constraints failed to overlap, some of these communities began supplying small batches of their brews to bars around 2015.
By the mid-2010s, craft beer bars had become more prominent in trendy neighbourhoods such as Thong Lo, Sukhumvit, and Ekkamai. The likes of CRAFT 23, located on Sukhumvit Soi 23, and Mikkeller Bangkok in Ekkamai offered patrons extensive selections on their rotating taps, further popularising craft beer culture with each pour. Outlets serving local craft beers also began to emerge, marking another step in the maturation of the scene.
Since then, the craft beer scene has become fairly mainstream despite the stringent licensing thresholds, restrictive production permits, and persistently high taxes on brewing as well as importation that were long kept in place. Our friends at the Bangkok Beer Guide have listed 15 brewpubs and 35 craft beer bars. A total of 178 microbreweries producing beer, cider, mead, and/or sato are mentioned as well. Even so, many are hesitant to provide any information about themselves in order to avoid prosecution.
Shifting Currents
Recent developments, however, may encourage small scale producers to throw caution in the wind. In May 2025 it was announced that the Thai cabinet has approved – in principle – amendments to regulations pertaining alcohol production. These amendments will make it considerably easier for Thai craft brewers to operate and sell their beers on a wider scale.
The new legislation will ease existing restrictions in three key areas. First of all, craft breweries and brewpubs will be allowed to distribute kegs of beer nationwide rather than be confined to their production sites or local markets. Secondly, the requirement that alcohol production facilities must be located more than 100 metres from public water sources will be lifted on the condition that relevant sites are foreseen of a wastewater treatment system. Finally, requirements preventing craft breweries from operating as medium-sized entities on the precondition that they are first run as small-sized industrial operations for at least one year will be removed. This also extends to the conjoining licensing laws currently in place.
Moreover, the Thai government has openly considered lifting a long-standing ban on the sale of alcohol in food and beverage establishments between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Apart from addressing a persistent frustration for locals and tourists alike, the policy change would open up a three-hour sales window for breweries and distributors. It is estimated that the move could see alcohol sales increase by up to 25%, which is obviously welcome news for the entire beer industry.
As of October 2025, the Excise Department has also been instructed to amend regulations on the canning of beer that restrict the market entry of microbreweries. Needless to say, the loosening of all the aforementioned controls bodes well for craft beer producers and consumers all over Thailand.
The Tour
Not that there isn’t plenty to get excited about as it stands. Our tour bus departed from Sukhumvit Soi 22 just after 11 a.m. The first destination of the day was the one located furthest afield. On Koh Kret, a small island in the Chao Phraya River, to be exact.
True to its nature, Bangkok traffic made certain that there was ample time for eager anticipation to spiral into maddening thirst. It took us over an hour to cover the roughly 28 km to the desired jetty, a short river crossing by motorboat taxi followed. Sometime around 12:30, the day’s intended proceedings were finally ready to commence.
1st Stop: Chit Beer
Widely recognised as one of the pioneers of Bangkok’s craft beer scene, Chit Beer was founded by Colonel Wichit “Chit” Saiklao. The brewpub on Koh Kret has been operational since 2012 and has become a pilgrimage site for craft beer lovers in the years since. Apart from its riverfront location and rustic, wooden design, the place has another defining feature: It regularly floods at high tide! Nothing more than a temporary inconvenience, according to the Colonel; besides, standing knee deep in water does not impact one’s ability to raise a glass to their mouth.
The Colonel does not come across as the type that gets easily fazed to begin with. Clearly in his element with a mug filled with his own brew in one hand and a jug in the other, he generously topped up the glass of anyone who came close enough. A gregarious fellow with stories for days, traces of his persona are apparent in every aspect of the Chit Beer brand – from the recipes he has concocted to the unapologetic imperfections of his brewhouse.
For those who do not find the prospect of wading in the Chao Phraya appealing, the brewery has opened six other venues – or “Chit Holes” – around Bangkok. Outlets have also been established in Chiang Mai and Pattaya. Here you will find a mix of Chit’s own range and a rotation of guest beers. We highly recommend the host’s Chocolate Stout, especially as a substitute for brunch.
As the brewery mantra proclaims: “It’s Good Chit!”
2nd Stop: Call Me Papa
Located around 7 km southeast of our first stop, and still within the borders of Nonthaburi, we reached the Call Me Papa brewhouse around 2:15 p.m. In this modern venue a free flow of three kegs filled with Khao Thai Lager, Sour IPA, and Shadow Cream Porter awaited us. A lunch buffet of various local Thai dishes had been prepared for us as well.
Anybody who wished to take a look around the production facility was free to do so. Designed with both production efficiency and community engagement in mind, its accessibility exemplifies Call Me Papa’s philosophy that great beer is more than just a drink – it’s an experience. An experience to be shared, at that.
Founded in 2022, Call Me Papa has taken the local craft beer market by storm. Cans adorned with its iconic logo are available in bars, stores, and supermarkets all over Bangkok. The brewery’s range consists of ten beers, all of which are available on tap at the Nonthaburi brewhouse. Six of these have won medals at the Thailand International Beer Awards, with the Dynaboost IPA bagging gold in 2024.
3rd Stop: United Peoples Brewery
A further 5 km due south, across the district boundary with the city of Bangkok, another modern brewhouse lay in wait. Despite being tucked away in a quiet residential area, United Peoples Brewery is anything but a well-kept secret. Other conference attendees who had decided to skip the tour in preference of a sleep in or visit to the nearby Chatuchak Weekend Market were there to greet us. Seeing as it was already past 4 p.m., other patrons had started to trickle in as well.
Although the United Peoples brewhouse first opened its doors in 2022, the brewery did not start pouring beers produced on the premises until May 2023. There is currently a melange of 14 in-house beers, collaborations, and guest appearances on tap. On the day of our visit, the selection included the Oktoberfest Vienna Lager, a lip-smacking collaboration between Sandport, Burbrit, and Radicle.
While one would hope that a brew of such refinement would be capable of lifting anybody’s spirits, a five-piece bluegrass band ensured that energy levels continued to rise. The overall atmosphere was so embracing that quite a few participants decided to forego the last two stops on the tour in favour of a prolonged session at United Peoples. And who could blame them?!
4th Stop: Eight Days A Week Homebar
Continuing in a southernly direction, the now half empty bus made its way down to the area known as Ari. After being dropped off at a nondescript street corner, we walked to the end of a quiet alleyway. There, in an old, landed property surrounded by a spacious garden, we were greeted by the attentive personnel of Eight Days A Week Homebar.
Equipped with ten taps, this friendly neighbourhood bar mainly pours local Thai craft beers and the occasional homebrew. Available draft beers are listed on a wooden block tap wall that generally excludes the name of the brewery. Since all the proposed amendments to existing alcohol laws have yet to be ratified, one cannot be too careful. A crying shame, because whoever came up with the Super Lemon Circuit Pilsner deserves thanks and praise!
A small group of us congregated out on the front patio to revel in the relative cool that accompanies nightfall and enjoy the tranquillity of the compound. Although we found ourselves close to the heart of a metropolis of more than 11 million inhabitants, the hustle and bustle of Bangkok seemed miles away.
As we were getting ready to leave, the venue started filling up. Apart from a solid tap selection, Eight Days A Week also boasts an extensive food menu of Thai dishes and western style pub grub. In that respect, it is truly a homebar as well.
Final Stop: Two Palms Taproom
The last stretch of the tour saw our bus inch through busy traffic all the way down to the edge Chinatown in the historic centre of Bangkok. En route we passed the Victory Monument, National Stadium, statue of King Rama III, and other grand feats of architecture. Two Palms Taproom itself is located behind a 200-year-old colonial building, one of many in the area. The inner courtyard around which the bar is set up provided an air of repose comparable to our previous stop.
An assortment of 15 beers – both in-house and guest, local and imported – are available on tap. This selection is supplemented by a fridge full of bottled and canned beauties. Those who had had their fill of beer for the day were able to order a variety of cocktails.
In this charming setting, the final toasts of the day were raised and parting fare thee wells exchanged. Our beer trip through Bangkok had proved to be a resounding success. This desired outcome was to no small extent down to the quality of the brewpubs and taprooms visited. Considering the regulatory constraints these establishments have been operating under until now, it is a small miracle that the craft beer scene has already evolved into its current form.
While easing production and distribution restrictions is likely to inspire the rise of more microbreweries, potentially stimulating the export of Thai craft beers to foreign markets in the process, we can only hope that this does not lead to oversaturation of the local landscape. While there is always room for improvement, when it comes to craft beer, Bangkok already has a good thing going. To this all the participants of the tour can attest.
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